Order of Presidential Succession

According to the Presidential Succession Act of 1792, the Senate
president pro tempore1 was next in line after the
vice president to succeed to the presidency, followed by the Speaker of
the House.

In 1886, however, Congress changed the order of presidential
succession, replacing the president pro tempore and the Speaker with the
cabinet officers. Proponents of this change argued that the congressional
leaders lacked executive experience, and none had served as president,
while six former secretaries of state had later been elected to that
office.

The Presidential Succession Act of 1947, signed by President Harry
Truman, changed the order again to what it is today. The cabinet members
are ordered in the line of succession according to the date their offices
were established.

Prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment in 1967,
there was no provision for filling a vacancy in the vice presidency. When
a president died in office, the vice president succeeded him, and the vice
presidency then remained vacant. The first vice president to take office
under the new procedure was Gerald Ford, who was nominated by Nixon on
Oct. 12, 1973, and confirmed by Congress the following Dec. 6.

NOTE: An official cannot succeed to the
Presidency unless that person meets the Constitutional requirements.

1. The president pro tempore presides over
the Senate when the vice president is absent. The president pro tempore is
elected by the Senate, but by tradition the position is held by the senior
member of the majority party.